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Bits

** All items are handmade and can take up to 2 weeks (longer for saddles) before they ship. Thanks for your patience! - Molly **

Picking out the right bit for your horse is sometimes confusing! My advice: start with confidence and build from there. Most problems in barrel racing are from not having enough control on our horses... or not having a well enough broke horse in the first place:) I am a huge believer in competing with 'curb bits', that is bits where a curb chain plays a part in the cue to my horse. Curb chains can do a lot for our communications between us and our horses. They can help to balance a horse that wants to drop into a turn to cut off a pocket (try bit #395M). This is a lesson that I learned when I won the National Finals Rodeo in 2004. I borrowed a horse called Slider from Shali Lord. He had a tendency to drop into his turns. He was running in a O-ring snaffle at the time. I put a longer shanked bit on him with a good curb chain and we never hit a barrel in the tiny Las Vegas arena! They can also help to rate a horse to achieve a bettter turn in a bigger pattern (try bit #512). What about the horse that DOESN'T have any confidence? Think about the racehorses on the track... jockeys use the milder snaffle bits so that their horses will be able to push into the bit and run! Not just push into the bit physically, but mentally also. If you have a younger horse that isn't wanting to move out and run, you could use a short shanked snaffle to encourge his aggressoion (try bit #336). Or if you have a mature horse that won't run hard but still needs a little stop at the end, you could try a longer shanked gag-snaffle (try bit #392). This Smooth Run bit is what turned Shadow into a NFR horse! There are times when you want to give up on a certain horse that won't turn his first barrel. I learned a HUGE lesson on my horse Quaker. After I learned how to keep him sound and ulcer free, I discovered that I needed a long shanked combination bit to get through to his MIND (try bit #918). Whether you are training or competing, always trust your gut feeling. Ride with control and you will definitely gain confidence. This will take you to the winner's circle!